Anneliese Vancil
]"I'm a living, breathing anachronism. When I was born, the Earth was the center of the universe and God lived in a villa in Rome." - Anneliese Vancil The woman whose current legal name is Anneliese Vancil was born in Rouen, Normandie - then the Kingdom of France - in 1393. At the age of 25, in 1418, she was possessed by a demon that remains within her to this day, making her effectively immortal. She is an accomplished Thaumaturge (user of Magic) and investigator, as well as extremely skilled in a variety of combat techniques - both armed and un-armed. Presently, she works as a Private Investigator in Elysium City, the largest city of the Federation of North America. History Anneliese's birth name is a closely-guarded secret known only to her, although she has been going by her current name since at least 1913. In 1418, she was possessed by a demon, which she calls A'os [pronounced Ah-oss, not Ay-ose]. As a daughter of noble birth, every effort was made to exorcise it - to no avail. The creature has remained dormant inside her, forever suspending her in the state she was at the moment it entered her body. This has made her immortal: she no longer ages, and is capable of surviving essentially any concievable injury. In fact, she has "died" dozens of times in her life and completely recovered within a matter of days or hours. Although she presently lives in North America, most of her life has been spent in northern France. She graduated from the Grande École de Rouen, one of - if not the most - prestigious schools in the United Kingdom, in 1871 with a doctorate of law. Like many others, she fled France during the Great War of 1912-1917, following its invasion by forces from the Confederation of the Rhine. While most refugees went to Spain or other parts of the United Kingdom, however, she went to North America. The ship was torpedoed by a Confederate U-boat en route, and she washed up on the shore of Florida several months later. In America, she began a new life, taking her current name and F.N.A. citizenship. In 1923, she re-earned her doctorate from the École Superieure Henri Louis II de Plantagenet-Bourgogne, in Cambridge, Massachusetts - the oldest university in the New World. At present, she operates as as Private Investigator, general consultant & police informant out of Elsyium City. Skills & Abilities The presence of a dormant demon inside her gives Anneliese a natural affinity for Thaumaturgy Magic and, as mentioned above, keeps her body perpetually suspended as it was when she was first possessed. Despite her significant magical abilities, however, she does not consider herself a magician and rejects the use of a Thaumaturgical staff, the traditional mark of Magic-users (although she will later have one made in the guise of a walking cane). In addition to these skills, Anneliese is an accomplished fencer and martial artist. She is also a good shot with her Colt M1911 handgun, although not first class. Furthermore, she is extremely intelligent and quick-witted, with an almost-inhumanly sharp photographic memory - things which have gotten her out of more bad situations than anything else. Her greatest weakness is perhaps her physical size, being only 5'5" / 165 cm tall. She is also rather near-sighted, making it difficult for her to see without her glasses, and cannot get corrective surgery because her eyes would simply revert back to their original condition. Furthermore, she refuses to wear contact lenses, which occasionally causes her problems. Anneliese is an extremely good musician, playing the piano, the violin and the guitar. She is a polyglot, with the ability to fluently speak English, German and Swedish along with her native French, as well as some Spanish. She is also a voracious reader and is extremely good at solving puzzles, particularly cracking sophisticated ciphers. Characteristics / Appearance Anneliese, despite being more than 600 years old, has the appearance of a young woman in her mid-to-late twenties. She is of average height (although rather tall by the standards of the time period she was born in) and slender, with dark red hair, pale unblemished skin and grey eyes. She is generally regarded as quite beautiful in a sophisticated sort of way, with a striking feminine figure and large bosom - something she also regularly uses to her advantage. Her attire varies by the situation and day. Normally, however, she wears a rather specific and old-fashioned ensemble: a white button-up dress blouse and black tie, both made from silk, black vest, black cashmere frock coat, black dress slacks, laceless black leather boots, silver wire-frame rimless glasses and, when applicable, black leather gloves. Anneliese is known for her awkward smile. She raises only the left side of her mouth and rarely ever shows her teeth. She also still has a slight, old-fashioned French accent when speaking English. Gadgets & Items Over her many many years, Anneliese has acquired an ecletic collection of items to aid her in various situations. Many of these objects are Thaumaturgically enchanted to provide various benefits, while others are more mundane. *Collar pins - the pins on the collar of her shirt are ruby studs set in silver. They are enchanted to amplify the sound of her voice, and can also infuse her words with a magical current that compels the listener(s) - either a single person, everyone within ear-shot or multiple specified targets - to do her bidding. This only really works on human beings, minor Magical creatures and lesser demons, however. *Earrings - Anneliese's earrings - ruby studs of silver, matching her pins - can amplify her hearing, even allowing her to hear outside the normal human spectrum. *Glasses - Her glasses have no special properties of their own other than being plated with silver, which burns the skin of demons and Magical creatures upon contact. * Sword - A 16th-century broadsword with an intricate basket hilt. Both the blade and hilt are plated in silver, making it an effective weapon against supernatural beings. The words "Aut Cæsar, aut nihil - et nihil fuit" (Either Caesar, or nothing - and nothing came of it) are inscribed on both sides of the blade. *Handgun - Colt M1911 .45-calibre handgun. One of the spare magazines is usually loaded with silver hollowpoint rounds. *Harpoon - a device of Anneliese's own devising that attaches to the underside of her forearm. Uses a CO² canister to propel a silver-plated titanium chain that is wound about her arm. Can either shoot the chain over a considerable distance or simply eject it out of her sleeve and into her palm, depending on how the trigger is pressed. The tip of the chain is a large spike, from which four bladed hooks will spring if the chain is pulled taut. The chain can be used as a garrot, a whip or a grappling hook, among other things. *Sceptre - a Thaumaturgical sceptre designed to focus and store raw magical energy that can then be projected at an attacker, rather like the Magical equivalent of a handcannon. Anneliese's sceptre is a cylindrical baton made of obsidian and inlaid with intricate silver inscriptions. *Staff - a Thaumaturge's staff disguised as a cane, designed to store, conduct and amplify Magical energies. Anneliese originally rejected the use of a staff because of its traditional association with Magicians, but commissioned it following a severe injury to her leg which took several months to heal and inhibited her combat abilities. * Lighter - an old IMCO windproof torch lighter, similar in operation to a Zippo lighter (in fact, the Zippo design is based off of IMCO's). Used to light her cigarettes, and also as a readily-available source of fire for Thaumaturgical purposes. *Rings - eight ancient, enchanted rings - one for each finger. These rings store and release Magical energies in localized, chaotic bursts. They are essentially Magical brass knuckles. *Boot knife - silver-plated boot knife * Flask - Stainless steel flask taken off of a Soviet agent bearing the shield and sword emblem of the KGB. Normally filled with harmless liquor, but also sometimes used to hold potions and other such things. *Lockpick set - a set of lockpicks for opening doors. Nothing remarkable. *Pocket Watches - two pocket watches worn in her right vest pocket. One is simply for telling time; the other is much older and no longer functions, but is Thaumaturgically enchanted to react to Magical power. Functions like a Geiger counter for Thaumaturgic energies in the surrounding space. *Flashlight - compact, high-power LED flashlight. Useful against certain magical creatures & demons. *Necklaces - two silver pendants. One, a Catholic Crucifix and the other an eight-spoked wheel, symbol of the Celtic god Taranis. Worn on silver chains around her neck. Personality & Beliefs Anneliese is a very reserved and introverted person. She is quite intelligent and capable, and is well aware of the fact - sometimes overly so. On the whole, however, she doesn't take herself - or her work - too seriously, except when Magical forces or the wellbeing of others, particularly her friends (and especially Cassie), are involved. She has a well-developed, if sometimes biting, sense of humor, a deep personal code of honor, strong loyalty to those she cares about and a clear but flexible sense of right & wrong. She is also generally relaxed and even-tempered, if somewhat melancholy; although her anger - if aroused - is generally quite intense and, because of her powers, can be quite lethal. Because of the demon inside her, she is unable to forget anything - once she learns or experiences something, the memory remains with her forever, but can fade from her consciousness over time. Due to this, she has a deep self-imposed burden or sense of guilt, and can be rather prone to fits of brooding or depression. Unlike most modern Magic-users, Anneliese ascribes to the "Classical" or "Greco-Roman" School of Thaumaturgy, rejecting the notions of inherently "White" & "Black", or "Good" & "Bad", Magic. For her, the responsibilities that come with her supernatural powers boil down to a simple set of rules: *Thaumaturgy should be used for the benefit or assistance of those in need whenever possible *Thaumaturgy should never be used to kill unless absolutely necessary particularly to humans *Thaumaturgy should never be used to bind other beings to one's will *Thaumaturgy should never be used to alter the past *Thaumaturgy should never be taught to the unprepared From these rules, she extrapolates her world-view (at least in relation to Magic) and frames / regulates her actions. However, she has violated the 3rd and 5th rules on at least one occasion each. The motivations behind her actions, however, are not entirely clear, and she often laments how boring and meaningless her more than 600 years of life have generally been. She attributes much of her continued motivation and resolve to Cassie - who, she says, "keeps her sane". Prior to meeting Casandra, her depression seems to have been much worse. It is known that she has attempted suicide more than 100 times, although not since having met Cassie. Officially, she is a practicing member of the Roman Catholic Church, as are most citizens within the Commonwealth nations. Privately, she has a strong aversion to the Christian portrayal of an omnipotent, omnipresent, perpetually-good God. She does not, however, seem to doubt the existence of God in and of itself, at least in some form. She often ponders whether the Abrahamic portrayal of demons is accurate or merely tradition and fiction which the demons themselves have come to reflect with time. Associates, Allies & Enemies Casandra (Cassie) della Rovere - Anneliese's oldest living friend & business partner, also a fellow immortal. Cassie cannot recall the circumstances that led to her immortality, nor does she have any memory of her life prior to being made immortal. Cassie & Anneliese share an apartment and have a steadily, if inconsistently, intimate relationship. Michelle Conway - an FBI Special Agent who operates out of the FBI Field Office for the Sussex Borough of Elysium City. Frequently calls upon Anneliese's help in dealing with unusual cases. The two of them have a rather antagonistic relationship, with Michelle respecting Anneliese for her intelligence and investigative skills and Anneliese finding her to be rather "ill-refined" in return (but also relying on her as a source of employment). Michelle is not aware of Cassie and Anneliese's immortality and is skeptical of their magical abilities, although she later learns the truth after seeing Anneliese recover from a point-blank bomb detonation. Their relationship begins to improve somewhat following this incident. Bernard Cardinal Schwery - A Cardinal of the Holy See and Archbishop of Elsyium City. An old friend of Anneliese and something of a (grand)fatherly figure to her. Henri Louis VI de Plantagenet-Bourgogne - reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations. King Henri Louis is one of the few people who is aware of Anneliese's immortality, although they have only met - briefly - once. Alexander Warren - a self-declared "Witch Hunter" with a particular hatred of Anneliese who has attempted to permanently kill her or banish her from the mortal world on several occasions Guillaume Martinique - a deceased Magician and Anneliese's mentor in the ways of Thaumaturgy. A Magically-created "copy" of his consciousness (a sort of ghost) is kept by Anneliese within a specially-enchanted mirror in her apartment, which she consults for advice. Marius Warren - a relative of Alexander Warren from the future (or rather, from one possible future) who was sent back in time with the mission to kill Anneliese, hoping to prevent some apocalyptic future event that she will supposedly instigate A'os - the demon inside of Anneliese whose true name is known only to her and a select few others. Eventually, Anneliese learns how to awaken this demon and - with considerable willpower - force it back into dormancy as needed. Initially, this was done out of desperation, but as time goes on Anneliese comes to rely on A'os more and more, always risking the possibility that she might lose control and become once again possessed. Nietzsche - Anneliese & Cassie's large grey tomcat Anneliese's Spells For a list of many of her spells and an explanation of their effects, see: http://ruffles.wikia.com/wiki/Thaumaturgy#Anneliese.27s_Spells Note that this list is not a full list. Anneliese has created and memorized hundreds of spells, enough to fill an entire grimoire, over her many years of life. However, she only uses some of these with any regularity. Overview Birth Name: N/A Legal Name: Anneliese Vancil Nicknames: *Anne (mostly used by Cassie) *Bellua for monster, beast or brute (used by Alexander Warren) Born: September 22nd, 1393 Occupation(s): *Current: Lawyer, Private Investigator, Police Consultant *Former: Professional Thaumaturge, Professor of History Alma Mater: Grande École de Rouen, École Superieur Louis Henri II de Plantagenet-Bourgogne Languages: *Native: French *Fluent: English, German, Swedish *Other: Latin but a dead language, Spanish fluent Nationality: French (original), North American (Under her current name) Race: Caucasian (Norman, descendant from Scandinavian Vikings) Eye Color: Grey Hair Color: Dark Red dyed black Height: 5'5" / 165 cm Weight: 55 kg / 122 pounds Bra size: 38D Author's Notes *The fact that Anneliese Vancil and the Actress Anneliese van der Pol share the same given name is coincidental; I simply felt like van der Pol's appearance fit my mental image of the character *Anneliese's native language would actually be Middle French, an older form of the language, as modern French did not come about until the 1500s (more than a century after she was born). However, this would be extremely difficult to represent in writing, so modern French is used instead. *The character of Anneliese Vancil was inspired by Rin Asogi from the anime series Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, and they share many similarities (immortality, style of dress, personality) *Many other features of her character - particularly the magic - are inspired by Harry Dresden, the titular character of the "Dresden Files" novel series by Jim Butcher. *No, Anneliese doesn't have a middle name (although she was probably born with at least one) *Anneliese's first name is a variant form of the Germanic "Annaliese", using the French "Anne" rather than the more Germanic "Anna", and means "Graced with God's Bounty" - a rather fitting name for the character. *Her surname, Vancil, is a Latinized form of the Czech name "Vacek", itself a form of the Old Slavic name "Vęceslav" (modern Czech: Václav), and means "Greater Glory". The name would be extremely rare, if not non-existent, among families of Western European ancestry - but I chose it anyway for the sound of it, and because the character's name is artificial anyway. Anneliese's actual birth name likely sounds considerably more traditional and French. *Anneliese has met many famous historical figures throughout her long life, including several kings of the United Kingdom and Napoléon Bonaparte *She is ambidextrous *It was decided that Anneliese would be of French ancestry because I wanted to have her speak multiple languages to showcase her intelligence. Considering she lives in North America, the most obvious choice would have been Spanish - however, I don't speak Spanish! (I can, however, make a reasonable hash of Swedish) *Anneliese can sing Soprano Category:Vancil 1418 Universe Category:Characters of the Vancil 1418 Universe